Method of making sheet-metal boxes.



G. A. LONG.

METHOD OF MAKING SHEET METAL BOXES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1|. 19x4.

1 1 6mm Patented. Nov. 23, 1915.

G. A. LONG.

METHOD OF MAKING SHEET METAL BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY l1. 19x4.

Llfilfigfi, Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

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' 4 METHGD OF MAKING SHEET-METAL BOXES.

Patented Nov. 23, 11915.

Application filed July 11, 1914. Serial No. 850,289.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Lone, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-Iartford,""in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Sheet-Metal Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of making sheet metal boxes.

A sheet metal box made in accordance with my method may be employed for a variety of purposes. In the following description of one. of the many difi'erent ways of carrying the method into effect, the box made by said method is adapted primarily for use in conjunction with oras partof a telephone pay station; in other words it incloses the operative. andother parts of such a machine. There are, generally speaking, three types of boxes employed for telephone pay stations, one of these being cast. This kind of box is the one which is most commonly used. It is heavy and cumbersome and can be easily broken to rob the instrument. The ideal box is one made of sheet metal, in that it possesses maximum strength with minimum of lightness. There are two methods of making sheet metal boxes, one of which comprises several drawv ing operations, and after each an annealing operation. The use of a box of this character owing to the expense of its production, is practically prohibitive. The other method of making sheet metal boxes involves the use of rivets, but a box of this nature has several disadvantages, one the presence of joints into which an implement can be readily inserted to pry open the box. The rivets are further objectionable, in that they afiect the resonant connection between the signals and the telephone transmitter.

, In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have shown one of the several ways of carrying the invention into efiect and which will be set forth in detail in the followin description to enable those skilled in t e art to practise the invention. I do not, however, restrict myself to this showing; I may depart therefrom in a number of respects wlthm the scope of the invention defined b the claims following said description. shall also cover as a part of the invention a box made by said method.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a fiat or developed view of the blank for the upper section or half of the box. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing certain bends made in said blank. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the said upper section of the box in practically completed condition. Fig. A is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a filling piece or corner blank, and, Figs. 6 and 7 are front and side elevations of the same in finished form. Fig. 8 is a flat or developed view of the blank of the body portion of the lower section or half of the box. Fig. 9 is a front View of the main portion showing the initial operations on said body portion blanks. Fig. 10 is a front view of the body portion of the lower box half in finished form. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 12 is a flat or developed view of the blank for the front or face portion of the lower box half. Fig. 13 is a sectional view of an initial operation upon the face portion blank of Fig. 12, and, Fig. 14: is a like view of the finished face portion. Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the front or face portion of the lower box half in finished form. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the completed box.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, which 1t Wlll be noticed are on difierent scales.

A telephone pay station box comprises as a rule what is known as a lower-half as 2 and an upper half as 3, (Fig. 16) and it is one of the primary purposes of the method to form these halves in a simple, inexpensive upper half 3 can be conveniently made. T is blank can be cut by the aid of suitable 'dies or otherwise, from sheet stock of the requisite grade or thickness in such manner as to present a main portion 5 and a supplemental portion 6 projecting substantially centrally in the form of a wing from the upper edge of said main portion. In the lower edge of the main portion 5 are out two approximately rectangular notches 7 and 8 which are practically centrally intersected by the fold or bend lines 9 and 10 hereinafter referred to, and which notches or slots 7 and 8 as will also hereinafter appear are adapted to receive filling or corner pieces preferably electrically welded in place, although said filling pieces might be otherwise secured in position. The fold lines 9 and 10 are continued across the wing or flap 6. In one of the side edges of the main portion 5 are formed duplicate apertures 11 and 12 which in the finished box, are adapted to receive fastenings by which the back (not shown) of said box canbe held in place.

.In the wing or flap 6 is formed an elongated slot 13 which receives the usual coin gage as it is known. The sides of the wing first diverge outwardly as at 14 and 15 upon equal angles beyond which said sides are straight and in parallelism as at 16 and 17. Initially by the aid of suitable dies in a press of proper kind, the wing or flange 6 is bent on itself along its sides to produce the duplicate right angular flanges 18, the folds or bends belng on the lines 9 and 10, said flanges 18 as will be understood, extending inwardly. Subsequent to this the upper portion of the wing'6 is bent inwardly as at 19 along a line as 20 which line intersects the points where the angular portions 14 and -15 merge respectively in the parallel portions 16 and 17. After the wing is bent on itself on said line 20 to produce the slope 21, said wing as a whole is bent down at right angles to and where it joins the main portion 5, this particular operation drawing the side edges of the flanges 18 into line as illustrated in Fig. 3. Succeeding this action the main portion 5 is bent rearwardly at opposite sides on the lines 9 and 10 to form the sides 22 of the upper half 3, the upper edges of said sides 22 being thus brought into contact or abutment with the straight lower edges of theflanges 18 at which time the sides 22 will be welded or otherwise rigidly united to said flanges 18 along the abutting edges of said parts; While I prefer to electrically weld said sides 33 and flanges 18, it

is conceivable that their union can be secured in other ways. At some stage of the process and preferably while the blank 4 is fiat the low er notched edge thereof is externally beaded in an outward direction. By the formation of the notches 7 and 8 before the main portion is bent, I find that when the lateral portions of said main portion are folded back to produce the sides 22, there is no tendency to distort or otherwise injure the projecting lower beaded portion of the upper half. In Fig. 4 the upper half is shown practically completed, the only thing remaining to be done being to insert filling pieces such as the frusto-angular part: 23 in the notches 7 and 8, the filling pieces being shaped to agree with the notches and come quently as their designation implies completely filling the notches and bein preferably electrically welded therein, alt iough as will be inferred, they might be held in place in some other way. In Fig. 5 I have shown the blank 24 of one of these filling pieces, and this blank by the aid of suitable dies and other instrumentalities will be shaped up to conform in external appearance to or match the beaded lower part of the upper half 3.

In a telephone pay station the upper half 3 consisting of a front, two sides and a top, contains the chute and the signal mechanism. The flanges 18 to which I have referred, depend from the top of the half or section 2. The lower half or section 2 contains the coinbox. Said lower half comprises a body portion as 25 (Fig. 11) and a front or facing portion as 26. In Figs. 8 and 12 I have shown the blanks from which said body portion 25 and facing portion 26 can be respectively made. The body portion blank denoted in a general way by 27 in Fig. 8, is cut by any suitable dies or otherwise, from sheet metal and as will hereinafter appear the end portions are bent upward at right angles to the intermediate portion along the lines 28 and 29 from which it will be clear 1 that the main part of the body blank is made up of three approximately equal portions each provided with a projecting wing 30 all of said wings being alike. In addition to these wings 30 the ends of the blank 27 have duplicate wings 31. It will be seen that the side edges of the wings 30 are on outwardly converging equal angles. It should be also noticed that the ends of the wings 31 are on similar angles. On the first operation on the blank 27 all of the wings 30 and 31 are bent up at right angles to the body of said blank which brings the rear beveled ends of the wings 31 against the beveled outer ends of the outer wings 30. On this operation the ribs 33 can be formed on the upper side of the blank 27, these ribs 33 constituting a guide for the money-drawer which I have not shown. The abutting ends of the wings 31 and the outer wings 30 can now be electrically welded or otherwise secured together. After this operation the end portions of the blank 27 are brought up at right, angles to the intermediate portion menses on the lines 28 and 29 which results in bringing the beveled ends of the intermediate wing 30 into abutment against the adjacent beveled ends of the two outside wings 30 and when this is accomplished, said wings can be electrically welded or otherwise conveniently united. This makes the body portion 25 of the lower half 2.

In Fig. 12 1 have shown the blank 34 from which the facing or front 26 of the lower half 2 can be made, said blank 34 like the others being cut. by the aid of suitable dies or otherwise, from flat sheet stock. When the blank 34 is stamped out, it has preferably simultaneously cut therein the comparatively-large opening 35 and the smaller opening or slot 36. It is through this opening 35 that the coin drawer is inserted, while the opening or slot 36 is intended for the passage of coins which may be returned to a subscriber in case he fails to obtain a connection. On the inner wall of the opening 35 is a wing 37 which is adapted to be bent back at some stage in the method, to constitute a partition for separating the slot 36 from the coin-drawer opening 35. On the top wall of said opening 35 is a notched projection or lug 38 which at the same time that the wing 37 is bent back, can be also bent back, to present a keeper for the bolt of the lock of the money-drawer. On the bottom of the blank 34 is a substantially rectan gular wing 39 while on the sides are wings 40 and 41, the lower edges ofthe wings 41 being at right angles to the vertical axis of the blank 34, while the upper edges of said wings 40 and 41 are along outwardly-diverging angles. On the top of the blank 34 is the wing 42, the sides of which are first straight and in parallelism and are then along outwardly-converging similar angles. The wings 39, 40 and 41 are bent at right angles to the body of the blank 34, while the lower portion of the wing is bent at a steep angle to the body. This brings the terminals of the wings 40 and 41 and the upper angular ends of the wings 40 and 41 against the parallel end portions of the steep sloping part of the wing 42 and where the several wings are brought together, they are electricallv welded or otherwise united as before described. The upper portion 43 of the wing 42 is bent at right angles to the body of the blank 34 and all the various operations thus far described in connection with said blank 34 can be accomplished simultaneously to produce the article shown in Fig. 13. After the step thus described has been performed, the wings 37 and 38 can be bent back at right angles and at the same time there may be formed around the opening 35 the rabbet 44 as shown in Fig. 14, to receive the front of the money-drawer. This in fact finishes the face portion 26. The

edges of the wings 39, 40, 41 and 43 can then be fitted against the front edge of the body portion 25 and the two electrically welded or otherwise suitably secured together. To facilitate welding I may if desired upset the metal along the parts which are to be thus joined, the upset portions being preferably coextensive with the butt joints. These upset portions when fused flow into the cracks at the butt joints.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A method comprising cutting notches in a blank, beading the notched portion of the blank after the notches are formed in said blank, bending the blank on lines extending through the notches and then rigidly fitting in the notches filling pieces.

2. A method comprising cutting notches in the edge of a blank, then bending the side portions of the blank at an angle to the intermediate portion thereof and on lines extending through the notches, and then permanently fitting filling pieces in the notches.

3. A method comprising cutting notches in the edge of a blank, heading the notched portion of the blank after the notches are formed in said blank, bending the side portions of the blank on angles to the intermediate portion thereof and on lines extending through the notches, and then permanently fitting filling pieces in said notches.

4. A method comprising notching an edge of a sheet metal blank, outwardly beading the blank on the notched edge, then doubling the blank on itself on lines extending through the notches to bring opposite portions of the blank at approximately right angles to the intermediate portion thereof and then electrically welding filling pieces in the notches.

5. A method which consists in cutting a blank from sheet metal stock in the form of a rectangular main portion provided with a projecting wing with the sides of the wing diverging outwardly from the main portion and then in parallelism with each other, bending down the sides of the wing at approximately right angles to the intermediate part thereof, then bending the wing on itself on a line extending through the points of mergence of the two portions of its sides, then bending the wing at approximately right angles to the main portion of the blank, then bending the sides of the main portion of the blank at approximately right angles to the intermediate part thereof and into abutment with the flanged portion of the wings and then welding together the and then in parallelism with each other,

bending the sides of the main portion at right angles to the intermediate part of said main portion, so that the sides will be positioned approximately at right angles to said intermediate part, bending the Wing on itself so as to dispose the inner portion of the a right angle to said part, then bending 10 down the sides of the wing into abutment with the sides of the main portion.

In testimony whereof I :ifiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. LONG. Witnesses:

SADIE Es MUCKETT. Hmnx ii. HAWKINS. 

